Latin America


COVID-19 poses huge challenges for Latam parks


Easter is the most important high season of the year for theme parks, bioparks, zoos and aqu ariums and, in general, for the entertainment industry in Latin America. This year, businesses in the sector did not receive any income during the period - and the situation is getting worse every day due to the COVID-19 containment measures that have been adopted by governments across Latin America.


A


ll the parks in the four countries with the largest number of establishments (Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina) are closed, and


the dates for their reopening are still uncertain, putting thousands of jobs at risk. Writing for Park World, Astrid González Nariño presents a summary of the situation in each of these nations.


Brazil In Brazil the situation is very complex due to the pandemic, mainly because of the sheer number of parks of all kinds across the largest territory in Latin America, measuring 8,514,877 square kilometres. The suspension of operations of Brazilian


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establishments occurred in a phased manner, and currently all of them have been closed since 23 March, putting the employment of at least 400,000 people at serious risk, according to fi gures from the Association of Amusement Park Companies in Brazil (ADIBRA) and the Integrated System of Parks and Tourist Attractions (SINDEPAT). These organisations have insisted from the beginning


of the crisis that, “This is not a matter of loss, but of bankruptcy,” according to a statement in which they requested the cooperation of the government of Jair Bolsonaro. This initial request has not yet been resolved and they have therefore decided to join a number of other


APRIL/MAY 2020


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